London Calling
by Lily1986
Summary: Rory thinks her daughter should spend time in London with her father but not everyone agrees. Future Literati Fic. Based on andyoudoctor's Tumblr gif set.


A.N: This is the next installment of my friend's Tumblr gifs.

* * *

Rory walked into his office while he was typing on his laptop. "She still hasn't come out of her room."

Jess was wearing his reading glasses, working on his new book, when looked up from the computer screen to see her standing in the doorway. "And you still think this is a good idea? Lori hasn't spent more than a day with-"

"Yes, I do. I know she doesn't think this is a good thing, but she needs-"

"To make up her own mind about what she wants." He removed his glasses and glanced back at the screen in front of him for a moment before he leveled his wife with a look. "Rory, she's almost an adult."

"I know. I know that. But what if one day she wakes up and it's too late? All Logan's asking for is a few months." Rory told him.

Jess sighed. "Then what, Rory?" We go on pretending that everything is back to normal? Pretend this is what Lori wants?" He leaned back in his chair rubbing his eyes. "Look, I don't mean to be so hard on you. You're a great mom to Lori and Richie-"

"But what, Jess?"

He sat up to get a better look at her. "But nothing. You just have to trust that they'll make the right choices. Even if you don't agree with them. Have a little faith."

Rory's face fell. "She hates me"

"She doesn't hate you."

Jess watched Rory's face crumble and stood from his desk chair to walk over to her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him, hugging her tightly. "We're gonna figure this out, Rory. I promise." He sprinkled open mouthed kisses on her neck, making her groan in frustration.

"I know what you're doing, Mariano." She mumbled but still leaned her head to the side, giving him better access.

"Some of my best work?" he chuckled against her skin.

"You're trying to distract me," she said, pulling away to get a better look at him. "It didn't work when we were seventeen and talking about the Winter Festival. It's not going to work now."

He gave her a lopsided smirk and shrugged, giving her a kiss on her lips before pulling back. "It was worth a try."

"I should go talk to her again." Rory said turning to go. "Maybe she's calmed down."

At that moment, the baby monitor that sat on his desk next to the computer let out a shrill cry notifying them that their much smaller child upstairs was awake from his nap. Jess took Rory's hand in his and kissed it. "Why don't you go check on Richie and I'll go talk to Lori?"

"Are you sure?" Rory asked. "It's me she's mad at. Not you."

"All the more reason for me to talk to her," he shrugged. "Go. Beat it." He rolled his eyes. "I'll handle the ansgty teenager and you take the crying toddler."

Rory laughed. "You do speak her language better than anyone I know anyway considering how you were as a teen."

"I can still change my mind you know," he teased, pulling her to him and kissing her.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm going. Good luck."

He watched her leave the office and sighed before turning to his laptop to save his latest document that he was working on. He shut down the computer for the night and made his way upstairs to his daughter's room. He could hear the music coming out of her room and smiled, recognizing the Distillers music instantly. He knocked on the door and heard the mumbled reply that sounded like her telling him to go away.

"Hey Lori, it's me. Can you open the door?" he called out through the wood and heard her turn the music down before unlocking the door and opening it. She didn't open it all the way but he took the gesture as an invitation anyway and walked into her room, closing the door softly behind him. "So… you wanna talk about it?"

"I thought you were mom."

"She's with Richie and I volunteered to talk to you so here I am."

Lori leveled a glare at him. "So Richie cried, you decided to divide and conquer and you drew the short stick?"

He smirked. "You know, I practically invented sarcasm as a defense mechanism, right?"

"Don't let grandma hear you say that. She might try to battle it out for the title."

He shook his head, leaning against the door frame and crossed his arms. She may not be his by blood but she was most definitely his in every way that mattered. He sighed, sitting down next to her on the bed before turning to her with a frown. "Talk to me… why are you so mad at your mom?"

"She's sending me away for three months, dad! How can I not be mad at her?! How can you be so okay with this?!"

He rolled his eyes at her dramatic outburst. "First of all, I am not okay with this." She turned to him with a bit of hope that he almost felt bad about crushing with his next statement. "But I trust your mom and I support her decision. She really does believe this could be good for you. She's just doing her best. We both are. And she doesn't want you to miss out on knowing your dad."

"But you're my dad," she told him, her bottom lip quivering.

"Oh baby," he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close, "I am your dad. I will always be your dad. You may not be my blood but you are mine. From the moment I saw you in the hospital, I knew you were my daughter. I love you as much as human heart can, kiddo. But Logan is your father too and he wants to try to do right by you. You owe it to yourself to let him."

She nodded against his chest.

"You don't want to regret not getting to know him." Jess continued. "Take it from someone who traveled across the country to get to know his own father who actually did abandon him when he was born."

Lori looked up at him. "But you and Grandpa Jimmy get along now."

"Exactly," Jess smiled. "Maybe that wouldn't be the case if I hadn't given him the chance. Trust me kid… I have prime real estate on deadbeat parents. And if it wasn't for Luke, I don't really know where I'd be right now but I am also glad I gave Jimmy a chance to be there for me. Even if it was in his own weird way."

She took a deep breath. "I get it, dad." She rolled her eyes. "Thank you."

"What if," he started. "What if your mom and I buy you one way plane ticket to go and then get you a voucher that you can use at any time to fly back? If you don't want to spend the whole summer in London with them, you don't have to. You can be in control of when you come back. How does that sound?"

She grinned. "That sounds fair."

He nodded, kissing her forehead. "I'll talk to your mom about it tonight. But you have to apologize to her for screaming at her. She thinks you hate her."

"I don't hate mom." Lori rolled her eyes. "I'm going because of mom."

Jess smiled softly. "Tell her that. Trust me, it makes a difference."

"Thanks dad." Lori smiled.

"I love you, kid."

"Love you too, old man."

* * *

Rory and Lori were packing Lori's luggage for her much talked about trip to London. Well, Rory was doing most of the packing while Lori continued to try to negotiate her way out of it.

"I'll make you a deal. Let me stay with you guys for the entire summer, in Philly, and I promise to have all my college applications done before July." Lori said. "Better yet, let me stay with Grandma and Grandpa. Grandma is always talking about how I never visit."

Rory smirked at how dramatic that statement was considering how close Lorelai lived to them. "You saw them last week. Plus, this is a great chance for you to get to know Logan and see that he's not trying to tear us apart."

"You say that now." Lori turned to her mom. "I mean, it's been five years and suddenly he has a dire need to bond with me? Aside from random phone calls at odd hours, I have no idea who he is."

"Lori, at least he's making an effort. Being a Huntzberger is really demanding and-"

"You're actually defending him?" Lori shook her head.

"It's a little more complicated than-"

"Than being around your first born out wedlock?" Lori countered.

"Lori…"

"You know, dad used to always say that we make time for the people we care about. Why hasn't Logan made time for me? Why did he wait?" The knock on the front door downstairs interrupted their discussion. Lori knew a lost cause when she saw one so she stood walking toward the door. "That must be grandma. I'll get it."

Rory could hear the door opening from where she stood in her daughter's room and turned to go downstairs when she heard her daughter greeting her mom and Luke.

"Grandma! Grandpa! You're back!" Lori greeted Luke and Lorelai when she opened the door. They both hugged her in return, turning when Rory walked down the stairs and into the foyer.

"Hey Rory," Lorelai greeted, hugging her daughter tightly. "Missed you kid."

"How was Nantucket?" Rory asked.

"Surprisingly cold for this time of the year." Luke hugged her next. "Where's that nephew of mine?"

"He took Richie into town. We were out of some things so he went to pick them up while me and Lori packed."

"Packed?" Lorelai asked putting down her purse. "Packed for what?"

Lori turned to her. "Mom is making me spend the summer with Daddy Warbucks."

"Lori!" Rory narrowed her eyes at her.

"What?" Lori shrugged noncommittally.

"I swear she's more like Jess than I remember," Luke muttered.

"Tell me about it," Rory mumbled. "Can you please finish packing?"

Lori rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Yes mom." She marched up the stairs, grunting with each step until she was out of sight.

"I gotta go too. Lane opened the diner but I told her I'd be back in time for the lunch rush." Luke kissed Lorelai's cheek and hugged Rory goodbye. "I also wanna pass by Doose's and say hi to Jess and Richie if they're still there."

"See you at home," Lorelai waved, turning to follow Rory into her kitchen. "And try not to do too much at the diner. Let Lane handle it. She's in charge now, Gramps."

Luke glared at her before he left.

"Coffee?" Rory asked her mom with a smile when they were both alone.

"Please!" She begged, falling into the closest chair and laying her head on the table.

"How's grandma?" Rory asked.

"Old," Lorelai answered.

"Mom…" Rory warned.

"She's getting old. Kid." Lorelai frowned. "You and Jess should take a trip up there soon with Lori and Richie."

Rory nodded. "I'll tell him."

Lorelai smiled softly. "Speaking of which, what's this I hear about Lori spending the summer in London with Logan?"

"She's being overly dramatic," Rory rolled her eyes. "She might not even stay the whole summer. Jess got her one of those vouchers where she can fly home at any time."

"Still," Lorelai gave her a look. "London? I mean, she's never spent more than a day with-"

"You sound just like Jess, mom." Rory stopped her.

"Really?"

Rory nodded and Lorelai shuddered.

"It's just; she doesn't seem really excited to go."

"She's not but Jess talked to her and he must have said the magical words or something because she's going anyway."

Lorelai bit her lip.

"What?" Rory asked.

"You can't force her to want a relationship with him, kid. You know that, right?"

"I do know that." Rory sighed leaning forward on the table. "But I also know she'll regret it if she doesn't at least try to have one. Look at me and dad."

"I never forced you to see him though, Rory."

"I know, mom." Rory frowned. "But I regret not being close to him before he…"

Lorelai lifted her arm, rubbing Rory's shoulder. "I know, Rory. But your dad knew you loved him. Even though you guys weren't as close as you probably would have liked, he knew. And you know he loved you too."

Rory nodded, rubbing under her eyes. "He never even met Lori or Richie. He wasn't at my wedding. He died before he could do any of that."

"I know," Lorelai whispered.

"That's why it's important for Lori to know Logan. I don't want her to be my age and talking about all her regrets with him."

"Maybe she won't have any…"

"What?"

"I mean, with you it was just me. I was all you had for the better part of your life. You didn't even meet your grandparents until you were sixteen and as much as Luke was in our lives…" Lorelai took a deep breath. "Jess is Lori's father. She may not have his DNA but she is his daughter. What if this is less about Logan and more about him? Have you considered what this might be doing to him?"

Rory gasped. "Mom… I mean, Jess knows what he means to her."

"Yeah but, giving Logan that place in Lori's life might still be hard on him. It might even be hard on Lori having to divide herself among them both. I don't know, Rory. I had one dad and he was a great man even if I didn't always realize it. I can't imagine what this must be like for Jess, Lori and you."

Rory closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and opening them. "You're right. Like Jess said, it's gotta be her decision."

Lorelai smiled.

Rory looked at the clock on the wall and pulled out her phone, dialing a number. "Hey Logan, I just need you to hear me out before you say anything. I don't think it's a good idea for Lori to spend the summer with you right now. It's just not a good time and I don't know if I want her to be away for so long considering she needs to be working on her early acceptance applications. Plus Jess is still working on his book and Richie is still really young. I know it sounds like I'm making excuses but you and Odette are more than welcome here anytime and if you want we can all go to London for a couple weeks. As a family. But Lori isn't going to go alone until she decides that she wants to. If she decides that." Rory looked at her mom with a smile. "Great! I'll talk to Jess and we'll plan the trip to London soon. It'll have to be after we visit my grandma in Nantucket though, okay?" Rory paused, happily looking at her mom. "Sounds good…. Say hi to Odette for me. Bye, Logan."

"How did that feel?"

"Really good." Rory told her. "I should tell Lori."

"I'll make the coffee us girls." Lorelai said nodding toward the espresso machine on the counter.

Rory smiled standing and rushing to her daughter's room. She knocked on the already slightly ajar door, causing Lori to turn to look at her from her bed.

"I'm packing," Lori told her, looking back down at the book in her hands. "Just taking a short break."

Rory grinned, walking into the room and starting to remove the clothing they'd already put in there.

"Mom, what are you doing?" Lori closed the book in her hand and stood, walking toward her.

"You're not going to London."

"I'm not?"

"No, well I mean, you still could if you want. And we might even go as a family for a couple weeks but for now, the trip is off. I talked to Logan and he agreed. You should only come if you really want to." Rory paused. "Do you want to?"

Lori wrapped her arms around her mother and held on tightly. "Thank you. No. No, I don't want to."

"I'm so sorry, baby." Rory whispered. "I was projecting all my regrets with my own father onto you and that's not fair." She pulled back to look at her daughter and cupped her cheek. "The difference between you and me is that you already have a dad and I didn't when I was your age. So if you do want to bridge the gap between your life here and what could be your life there, I will support you every step of the way. Until then, I'm done making decisions for you."

Lori smiled. "I love you, mom."

"I love you too, sweetheart." Rory said, pulling her into another hug. "And I am so sorry."

"It's okay. I get it. It's okay."

"Coffee's ready!" Lorelai called from downstairs interrupting them.

"Grandma's coffee!"

"Oh god, please at least add some milk to that dark drink before your father sees you drinking it."

"No promises!" Lori said bouncing out of her room to go downstairs.

Rory followed her daughter downstairs and reached the foyer just as Jess was walking in holding Richie and a paper bag from Doose's Market. "Hey! I saw Luke in town!" he greeted her putting down Richie who ran straight into the kitchen where his sister and grandmother were. "I'm assuming Lorelai is here-"

Rory pulled the bag out of his hands and put it on a table by the door before pulling him in for a deep kiss. It took a moment for Jess to react but soon he was cradling her face with one hand and wrapping his other arm around her. They broke the kiss that left them both out of breath.

"I should go to Doose's Market more often if that's how you're gonna greet me when I get home."

Rory rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Lori's not going to London."

"What?"

"I talked to Logan. I told him she's not going unless she wants to. I was projecting on her and you were right. It's a decision she has to make on her own."

He smiled kissing her again but Rory pulled back.

"I may have mentioned taking a family trip to London for a couple weeks though. Is that okay?"

He nodded. "That sounds fair."

"But first we have to plan a trip to see my grandma in Nantucket, okay?"

He nodded again. "Anything you want, Rory."

She smiled, kissing him softly. "And Jess… _you_ are Lori's father. It's you. It's always been you." She touched his cheek and he turned his head to kiss her palm. "You do know that, don't you?"

"I know that, Rory." He told her. "Those two kids are ours and no DNA test is ever going to change that."

She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I love you so much."

"And I love you." He told her, bumping his nose with hers before kissing her again. He pulled back when he recognized the smell coming out of the kitchen and frowned. "Did you let you mother make coffee again?"


End file.
